Anij: I just checked my CURRENT Bell Canada phone bill-there is NO listing for TTY service. There is a listing for 911 emergency service access-0.18 per month.
Implanted Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
Exactly! - I'm guessing that you thought that if you looked at the bill you'd find an explanation or at least statement about 711/Relay since it's a service that they offer??
One would think/hope that phone companies etc WOULD mention/advertise/explain things like Relay Services - the univerally DON'T.
Relay Services, be they "traditional" (using a TTY) or more "technologically advanced" versions (ie IM relay, IP relay, Video Relay etc) simply aren't "advertised" at all by the providers!!
At most there will be a few word explanation for the 25¢ - 50¢ (or whatever it is) Relay Fee (sometimes simply called "711 fee" - which most people mis read at "911" not "711)
Personally - I think that if phone/media companies did a better more public job of explaining both on their monthly statements, and on the TV/internet etc WHAT "Relay Services" are to the "general public" there would be a lot fewer problems with individuals and many businesses either hanging up on, or being frustrated with relay calls.
("Hang ups" are much less common with VCO calls ... I haven't been hung up when using VCO, however I have been hung up using "traditional" (ie:I type, not talk) TTY Relay (from the same company) - simply because the didn't understand what was happening and thought it was a "joke"/"prank" etc - not because they were being discriminatory etc)
I guess the bottom line is ... Whenever a new relay service, communication service for the Hoh/Deaf/SI DOES come out from Bell (or is available in your area and available / accessible to you) - it's almost 100% guaranteed that you will NOT see or hear ANYTHING about it - from the company providing it, or any other "official source" that you'd expect to hear/see it from ... instead, you'll more than likely find out about it on a site like this, through and email from CHS or some other "non-official, word of mouth source".
Weird isn't it